Random Thoughts During a Pandemic: Masks, Donald Trump, Missing Movie Theaters, Returning to Video Games

Written by: Kevin Berge

Remember when every thing was so simple and happy? I don't because I swear every day of my life felt like the most complicated of days, especially those days I had to decide between watching Yu-Gi-Oh reruns or playing Pikmin. (Image Courtesy of: nytimes.com)

When I was putting together my random wrestling thoughts, I found myself stopping before I went on a variety of tangents. The reason is because wrestling is a part of my life, but it is not the whole.

Especially at this time where the world has changed so wildly, it is easy to get lost. The only way we can find our way back is trusting in what makes us happy. We need a sense of normalcy and freedom.

I figured instead of bogging down that article, I would write another one. Maybe no one reads it, but I figured I'd just throw out my scattered thoughts in the midst of a pandemic, exploring what I think about day to day because of the state of the United States and the world as a whole.

Living Day by Day

• I think I'm used to wearing a mask. My typical routine usually involved always making sure I had my keys, my phone, and my wallet whenever leaving my apartment. Now, it includes putting on a mask.
• The backlash to wearing masks has seemingly died down, but in a way, I get it. It's inconvenient. We live in a society of convenience. Those who do not would laugh at us for this, but they already have been laughing for a long time.
• I would consider myself an introvert, but it's not an extreme case. I still feel the need to communicate, to be around other people. I just feel it with a small close group. That makes all this easier for me.
• I am especially helped by the fact that so much of my interactions were already virtual. I was already using Discord and Skype every few days and platforms like Discord and MeWe to stay connected. That hasn't changed.
• I do miss the ease of access to certain places, but after the initial panic, things have become completely manageable. If this was the new norm, it would be terrible for businesses not individual people.
• The economy remain a big focal point in all this, and it's worth talking about, only because we live in a consumerist culture. People rely on these jobs and businesses. It's potentially a chance to consider a fundamental change to that system given how businesses are falling apart in the wake of the pandemic.
  
• I got off easy when it comes to employment. My work is mostly unchanged, just even more time at home staring a screen. I feel very lucky for that. I feel terrible for those whose livelihood is not a priority to our government.
  

That's the look of a man who is suddenly realizing becoming an authoritarian leader of a republic is really tough work. Suddenly, he gets the hard work Emperor Palpatine put in. (Image Courtesy of: click2houston.com)

The Monster That is US Politics

• It feels like a necessity these days to follow politics down to the finest detail, even though the US does not give much control to the individual citizen.
• It makes me more jaded by the hour.
• We are a republic not a democracy.
• The past 4 years of the US presidency have been a disaster that prove even more so that the political system is a game the charismatic play.
• The game is to convince the public you care about them enough to vote for you through political advertising then work for the highest bidder, likely the one funding your campaign, once you have power.
• Those in power are all to blame for what is happening right now. This means the Democratic party that has continually chosen to stay the course and grow complacent with time rather than taking active steps toward evolving.
• Hillary Clinton was a better candidate than Donald Trump. The fact that 0 women have been president over the course of 45 presidencies is a disgrace. None of this made Clinton the ideal candidate, only the best option.
• Joe Biden is a better candidate than Donald Trump. The fact that 0 women have been vice president over the course of 45 presidencies is a disgrace. None of this makes Biden the ideal candidate, only the best option.
• There is truly no such thing as an ideal political candidate because the system is broken, but it is far easier to point out flaws than compare the positives. Feel free to point out the problems, but there will always be problems.
• Donald Trump was far from the ideal or best candidate, but he was the most charismatic, perfect at pointing out flaws in his opposition. He has proven himself to be one of the most successful con-men in the world, convincing people to buy into what he says. It's a wonder no one saw this coming.
• Trump's rise to the presidency falls into eerily similar precedent set by other dictators. He appealed to the little man, promising to help them against the big man, even though he has always been a part of those in power. It's incredible how easily the public can fall for the same empty promises.
  
• Laughing at Trump doesn't help. Too much media focus paints him as an idiot. No matter his actual mental state, that only keeps him in the public eye.
  
• Socialism is an ideal corrupted by the powerful, who used the rhetoric to encourage support. Its use by the Social Democrat party leans closer to the idea, but even that is far from true socialism. Still, it will struggle to come to power in the US.
• The Democratic party repeatedly has hidden from the growing support of the Socialist Democrat movement, tamping it down with unified support of less than ideal candidates.
• Sensationalist media coverage is also increasingly a problem driven by the way people consume media. Too many will tune in for slanted ridiculous hot takes over genuine well though-out coverage.
• I would love to be able to consume political discourse quietly and with critical focus in 2021 and beyond. I just don't think all this ends with Trump. The system is broken.
• I would like to at least have a president that can keep international discourse alive. I still hold out hope for a global society at some point.

Christopher Nolan will bring everybody back to movie theaters then immediately turn them off with an overcomplicated mess. I will live for every second. (Image Courtesy of: cnet.com)

I Miss New Movies

• I didn't realize how much I would miss going to movie theaters until I started doing it regularly then stopped. That anticipation for a blockbuster or finding a surprise gem in a massive dark theater is unlike most anything.
• Theaters are finally reopening, but it is important that everyone involved feels safe. I don't know how comfortable I would feel going back to an AMC. I will admit though that the madness of Tenet could pull me back.
  
• Instead of watching movies in theaters, I have been finally getting through my watch lists on Netflix and Hulu. Watching these films and TV show with my girlfriend has been a big help in getting through the days.
• I have watched so many films I never would have watched otherwise, some wonderful and some terrible. In particular, I saw more horror movies than I ever have.
• The Friday the 13th films so far are not great, but there's a fascinating fun about the truly bad ones like Freddy vs. Jason and Jason Takes Manhattan.
• The new Child's Play and the original both work really fun for the stupid gory fun they promise. Cult of Chucky is also weird fun.
• The Autopsy of Jane Doe and The Blackcoat's Daughter are some of the best horror I have watched in a long time. The House October Built (and its sequel) are terrifying in a way that you rarely see. The Creep movies are delightful as is The Babysitter. The Huluween shorts are a delight mostly.
• I could gone without seeing Emelie, Polaroid, or Truth or Dare (2017). I especially could not stand Apostle.
• Beyond the horror though, what I loved to do was rewatch the films I love with a new perspective. I remember what I love in cinema with the best cinematic experiences.
• Blade Runner 2049 is an absolutely beautiful and sensational movie. Honestly, on my most recent watch, it might have risen again in my all-time rankings. The way it wraps visual design together with quiet storytelling makes it such an incredible exploration of its question of the humanity of replicants.
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse absolutely should have been on my Top 30 list upon rewatch. It is near perfect.
• Bong Joon-ho is a master of his craft, and Parasite is absolutely perfect.

How is it that an 18-year-old Disney/Final Fantasy mash-up pulled me back into gaming? I don't know maybe I just love stupid things. (Image Courtesy of fencingink.com)

Remembering Video Games

• I barely played video games over the last few years, and I really had missed them. Without being able to go to the cinema, I had more time to pick up a controller and play.
  
• The wonder of games over every other entertainment medium is the interaction. Connecting to the media at that level shapes your experience. I think at this time especially that connection is vital.
  
• I play through the first Kingdom Hearts, which is a delight of an action adventure title. I could not care much less about the story, but I just wanted to fight Disney villains with Donald and Goofy. I got that. I have no idea when I will actually play the sequels (even though I have most of them).
  
• Sometimes, I just enjoy falling into simplistic games. I have been putting some time into getting through Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. For a CoD game, it does more than I expected on the story front, but I really just wanted to play a game where I got to shoot everything in my path. I got that. For the brief mechanical thrill, I even played a bit of Pac-Man, which was a trip.
  
• I am finally starting to play The Last of Us Part II, and you don't play games with this level of detail and storytelling nuance. I cannot speak for much of the game yet, but Neil Druckmann has a mastery of nuance that could only be sabotaged by genuinely frustrating story decisions.
  
• Just like with movies, I feel the pull to replay games constantly. I am trying to avoid it, but it gets harder every day not to sink 80 hours into the Mass Effect trilogy again.
  
• The toughest part of every side of having so much time is prioritizing what to play. Do I need to focus on LoU Part II? Should I give The Outer Worlds, Horizon: Zero Dawn, or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt more of my time?
  
• The massive open world games especially are tough to commit to, unlike when I was a kid. I used to play so much Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (and V: Skyrim) as well as Fallout 3 (and New Vegas). I would 100 hours away in Borderlands or Assassin's Creed just exploring the maps and interactions. Now, the thought is terrifying.
  
• It just feels good to hold a control again, to take back some control at a time when we all have lost so much.